Snowshoeing, Ice Fishing, and more!
Winter at The Wild Center takes on a whole new perspective. The Wild Center transforms into a winter playground once the snow hits! From learning to ice fish, to Winter Wild Walk, Wild Lights, and tons of snowshoe trails available, The Wild Center is the perfect place to take the kids. With tons of outdoor space, The Wild Center is the perfect place to explore this winter.
The Wild Walk turns into a winter wonderland once the snow hits, blanketing everything in a beautiful white covering. Walk along the snow covered tree tops and take in a different view of the mountains surrounding us. You may have seen the views in the summer or fall, but come winter, they warrant being seen again! On The Wild Walk there are snowball throwing games, dress up trunks with places to take a picture, and tons of opportunities to see winter wildlife, as well as other games and activities.
With your paid admission to The Wild Center, you get the opportunity to try snowshoeing and kicksledding for free. This is a great opportunity to test out two classic outdoor activities, as The Wild Center’s campus is full of beginner and intermediate walking trails that turn into wonderful snowshoe trails in the winter. Snowshoe through the iForest while listening to wonderful music composed just for this attraction. You can snowshoe or kicksled down to the Oxbow overlook and have views of the Raquette River. Try out a kick sled on all of these trails as well, and experience one of the most popular winter activities in Scandinavia. Who knows, if you enjoy snowshoeing you may just have to travel back to discover all of the other snowshoe trails in the area!
While you are exploring the trails on snowshoes, keep an eye out for Hopscotch, the stickwork creation. Patrick Dougherty and a group of volunteers put together this large immersive art piece from saplings. Children and guests can walk through Hopscotch and discover nature through a new angle!
Learn to Ice Fish
If you try snowshoeing and find out it isn’t your thing, head over to Green Leaf Pond and learn to ice fish! Free with paid admission, you can learn the techniques used to catch fish throughout the winter, and take a look under the ice at the amazing winter world of fish. This is a guided experience so don’t worry if you have no knowledge on ice fishing.
Get the feel for ice fishing at The Wild Center, then head to a local shop in town to buy some of your own gear. There are tons of lakes and ponds for you to take the family on to continue the ice fishing passion. Local fishing shops have tons of information on best ice fishing locations, what bait to use, etc. Safety Tip: Always check ice conditions with the Tupper Lake Visitor's Center or with a local fishing shop before heading out. Just because there is safe ice in one area does not mean all lakes and ponds are safe.
Wild Lights
Explore Wild Walk and iForest after dark at Wild Lights! Wild Lights is offered Friday and Saturday nights during the winter. The Wild Center turns their outdoor campus into a magical winter wonderland covered with thousands of lights. Online reservations will be needed for Wild Lights. Last year, Wild Lights was a hit and sold out almost every night, so we recommend keeping an eye on The Wild Center's website and schedule to book your tickets.
The Wild Center provides the perfect opportunity to bring your family to Tupper Lake this winter and try a few winter activities. Try out snowshoeing, ice fishing, and discover the Winter Wild Walk all during your visit. While you're here, check out our family-friendly cross-country ski trails, find a warm place to relax and have a drink and hot meal, and spend the night at one of our locally-owned lodging properties near The Wild Center.
Note: The inside exhibits at The Wild Center will be open this winter. Reservations will still be required through the winter. The Wild Center has gone paperless and asks that visitors use cashless payments. Masks are expected to be worn indoors regardless of vaccine status.
The reason you may see media of people not wearing masks on our website is because some footage is from prior years. More than ever we all need to be vigilant about maintaining social distance of 6 feet or more and wearing masks when we cannot social distance.